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[Albion] Are we just a bit ‘meh’?



P

portlock seagull

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2003
17,931
We are having a very good season - but in terms of getting to the next aspirational level….?

We’re media darlings, the whole Brighton production / succession line is continually touted. It’s not without good reason (who else has survived continued poaching at every level of staff?).

However, in terms of achieving the next level having spent hundreds of millions, Fulham, Brentford, Bournemouth, Forest (even Palace last season) are equally as good. Without the same attention.

Are we therefore guilty of believing our own hype? We’re certainly punching above our weight just being in the PL in my view, as are the rest, but I also think we’re nowhere near as good as our plaudits sometimes lead us to believe. Not least because we simple cannot beat lower opposition, season after season.

And discuss…
 






Ratso2005

Ratso2005

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2004
295
I would say some of our fans seem to have completely and utterly lost sight of realistic expectations.
Nothing to do with our history, just what is feasible now.

People want the manager gone when we're one win off a top four position coming up to the halfway stage of the season.

We have a talented squad with some stars and some shortcomings. So do at least 10 other sides in the division.
 


Triggaaar

Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
53,620
Goldstone
Ratso2005 said:
People want the manager gone when we're one win off a top four position coming up to the halfway stage of the season.
Click to expand...

People? Hardly. There are always a couple of idiots, but it's clear the fans are behind Fab.
 
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P

portlock seagull

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2003
17,931
Ratso2005 said:
I would say some of our fans seem to have completely and utterly lost sight of realistic expectations.
Nothing to do with our history, just what is feasible now.

People want the manager gone when we're one win off a top four position coming up to the halfway stage of the season.

We have a talented squad. So do at least 10 other sides in the division.
Click to expand...

Who wants him gone? That’s entitled if so. I would however say those three points are massive. Others without the same media attention are also able to achieve when perhaps we know the Albion aren’t realistically ever going to achieve (always the bridesmaid…). It’s good to have ambition, but fine line between that and reality. Which is we’re likely to finish mid-table, despite the hype, ambition and expectation.
 


Ratso2005

Ratso2005

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2004
295
Our record could quite easily be W9 D3 L3, second on 30 points. Which would be phenomenal.

Equally though we could have failed to turn things round against United, City and Spurs or hold on at Newcastle and we could be 8-12 points worse off.

Personally I don't think we're "meh", I think we're close to being an excellent side, but currently we have a soft underbelly.
There are a lot of good sides in the EPL. All the time we are above or around Aston Villa, Spurs, Man Utd and Newcastle we are categorically punching above our weight.

This was always likely to be a transitional season, with all the new players and a green, young coach. I strongly suspect we are slightly ahead of where TB and PB expected us to be at this point, despite the financial investment.
 




jimhigham

jimhigham

Je Suis Rhino
Apr 25, 2009
8,126
Woking
Despite the big spend over the summer, this is very much a transitional season for us. We've a new coach and a large turnover of the playing staff, which is a lot of moving parts that need to mesh before we can really improve. The trick lies in achieving this before the big spenders come in for their next shopping spree.

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with the notion that we are a bit "meh" just now. There's plenty of talent there but it is unrefined and fragile. This should improve given that much of our squad are young and still learning their craft. I think the squad is almost set to kick on but we are light in defence, which needs new blood.

But it's just an opinion.
 
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P

portlock seagull

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2003
17,931
Ratso2005 said:
Our record could quite easily be W9 D3 L3, second on 30 points. Which would be phenomenal.

Equally though we could have failed to turn things round against United, City and Spurs or hold on at Newcastle and we could be 8-12 points worse off.

Personally I don't think we're "meh", I think we're close to being an excellent side, but currently we have a soft underbelly.
There are a lot of good sides in the EPL. All the time we are above or around Aston Villa, Spurs, Man Utd and Newcastle we are categorically punching above our weight.

This was always likely to be a transitional season, with all the new players and a green, young coach. I strongly suspect we are slightly ahead of where TB and PB expected us to be at this point, despite the financial investment.
Click to expand...
I think the difference between where we are (‘meh’) and perhaps aspire to be / think we could have been given dropped points against ‘lesser opposition’ is the crux of the issue. So close, yet realistically, was it ever / is it ever possible? Plenty of other clubs doing as well or better without same attention…?
 


L

Lifelong Supporter

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2009
2,119
Burgess Hill
Ratso2005 said:
Our record could quite easily be W9 D3 L3, second on 30 points. Which would be phenomenal.

Equally though we could have failed to turn things round against United, City and Spurs or hold on at Newcastle and we could be 8-12 points worse off.

Personally I don't think we're "meh", I think we're close to being an excellent side, but currently we have a soft underbelly.
There are a lot of good sides in the EPL. All the time we are above or around Aston Villa, Spurs, Man Utd and Newcastle we are categorically punching above our weight.

This was always likely to be a transitional season, with all the new players and a green, young coach. I strongly suspect we are slightly ahead of where TB and PB expected us to be at this point, despite the financial investment.
Click to expand...
Very much so. It is usual for players to take time to settle and prosper in the PL. Thus the purchases were made very much with next season in mind. The manager and the new squad have turned things around from the desperation of the second half of last season and we have been competitive in most games this season. Some we will win and others we will lose. There has been plenty of exciting football and long may it continue. There will be disappointments of course, but that is football!!
 


trueblue

trueblue

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
11,027
Hove
portlock seagull said:
We are having a very good season - but in terms of getting to the next aspirational level….?

We’re media darlings, the whole Brighton production / succession line is continually touted. It’s not without good reason (who else has survived continued poaching at every level of staff?).

However, in terms of achieving the next level having spent hundreds of millions, Fulham, Brentford, Bournemouth, Forest (even Palace last season) are equally as good. Without the same attention.

Are we therefore guilty of believing our own hype? We’re certainly punching above our weight just being in the PL in my view, as are the rest, but I also think we’re nowhere near as good as our plaudits sometimes lead us to believe. Not least because we simple cannot beat lower opposition, season after season.

And discuss…
Click to expand...
I don't think we're 'meh' but there's some merit in the point, for sure.

My take is that our ceiling is higher than the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth, Forest etc in years to come if the players we have signed fulfil their potential. At the moment there's not much in it. They have the experience we lack. The same is true of the boss. Silva and Nuno are very capable, Iraola is very impressive and anyone would jump at landing Thomas Frank.

I hope Hurzeler can be just as good and think he probably will be, given time. Some fans seem to have got way ahead of themselves purely because we spent a lot in the summer on players to future-proof the club, rather than because they'd all be immediate stars.
 




The Clamp

The Clamp

Well-known member
Jan 11, 2016
26,410
West is BEST
Are we “meh”. We can be. On the pitch. Sometimes. It’s probably our biggest downfall.

As a club, are we “meh”?

If anyone thinks our rise from languishing in the pits of the lower leagues, homeless, with no foreseeable prospects.. to playing Europe, spending 7 seasons so far in the PL and calling The Amex our home, is “Meh”! They are frankly, mental.
 


jimhigham

jimhigham

Je Suis Rhino
Apr 25, 2009
8,126
Woking
trueblue said:
I don't think we're 'meh' but there's some merit in the point, for sure.

My take is that our ceiling is higher than the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth, Forest etc in years to come if the players we have signed fulfil their potential. At the moment there's not much in it. They have the experience we lack. The same is true of the boss. Silva and Nuno are very capable, Iraola is very impressive and anyone would jump at landing Thomas Frank.

I hope Hurzeler can be just as good and think he probably will be, given time. Some fans seem to have got way ahead of themselves purely because we spent a lot in the summer on players to future-proof the club, rather than because they'd all be immediate stars.
Click to expand...
Very much this.

We all pine for the golden midfield partnership of Mac Allister and Caicedo but neither of them walked straight into the first eleven and started pulling up trees. Both needed to be integrated over time (granted, Potter admitted Caicedo should have been brought in sooner).
 


G

Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull
May 22, 2012
16,291
It is what it is... :shrug:

In all seriousness, I take it one game at a time and realise that we're in transition and FH is trying to work out his best teams and learn about the PL.
 


trueblue

trueblue

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
11,027
Hove
jimhigham said:
Very much this.

We all pine for the golden midfield partnership of Mac Allister and Caicedo but neither of them walked straight into the first eleven and started pulling up trees. Both needed to be integrated over time (granted, Potter admitted Caicedo should have been brought in sooner).
Click to expand...
It also only feels like 5 minutes since De Zerbi didn't trust Baleba. Now, under Hurzeler, he's the new messiah - yet there's no credit at all given for the faith he's put in him. It's odd.
 




M

MTSeagulls

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2019
971
The Clamp said:
Are we “meh”. We can be. On the pitch. Sometimes. It’s probably our biggest downfall.

As a club, are we “meh”?

If anyone thinks our rise from languishing in the pits of the lower leagues, homeless, with no foreseeable prospects.. to playing Europe, spending 7 seasons so far in the PL and calling The Amex our home, is “Meh”! They are frankly, mental.
Click to expand...
How we wished for "Meh" back then looking at clubs like Wigan/Swansea/Bolton etc in the PL
 


tedebear

tedebear

Legal Alien
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
17,176
In my computer
We're not meh, we have no consistency, which doesn't count as "meh" in my book....meh is middle of the road bang average...

We know how good we can be which is what makes this so frustrating...for me anyhow...its another we had won, where we unwon...like wolves...
 


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